Chapter 85 : Don’t Follow Me

“The Demon King is being deceived.”

Darkan said to Victoria.

The beauty of the outside world?

The kindness of humans?

Just listening to such ridiculous things made him realize even more how terrifying that man was.

What kind of trick had he pulled to change the Demon King, who had always been indifferent to everything, so drastically?

“Not just me, but also Lucrezia and Bellard have met that man, Wade. He is a demon.”

“You’ve been going on about demons for a while now, but I have no idea what you mean.”

“He enjoys slaughter, mocks souls with his words, and at times, even devours the flesh of demons. He is truly evil.”

“Devours the flesh of demons? Did you see it with your own eyes?”

“Not exactly… but regardless, he is dangerous. He approached you from the start with the intent to use you. Please reconsider your stance on him.”

Darkan hoped that the Demon King would realize Wade’s true identity and form a proper perception of humans.

However, Victoria’s response was skeptical.

“You all talk about humans in such a negative light. Just like Alcatraz and Lucrezia. That’s enough of that talk.”

“But, Demon King… If you do not firmly make up your mind here and now, the outcome of this war will be uncertain. As I explained before, the human army’s offensive is no joke.”

“Don’t worry about that. I will fight the human army as well. I simply do not agree with the idea that humans are inherently evil.”

“Demon King…!”

Darkan slammed his head against the floor of the Demon King’s castle.

Thud!

“Strange rumors are spreading among the demons. They say that you have fallen in love with a human and that because of this, we will lose the war. Is this true?”

“…”

“Please deny it. Deny it in front of everyone and raise the morale that has plummeted. If you don’t, the Demon King’s army will be annihilated by the humans. I beg you!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Darkan repeatedly slammed his head onto the floor.

The ground of the Demon King’s castle cracked and dented under the impact.

The only sound in the otherwise silent audience chamber was the repeated thudding of his head.

Watching this sorrowful scene, Victoria reluctantly replied.

“Fine… I understand. For the sake of the demons’ future, I will give you a clear answer.”

The sun rose.

The imperial army was bustling in preparation for a new battle.

The noble houses, generals, and other commanders gathered in their tents to devise strategies, while the rest of the soldiers rechecked their equipment and did a headcount.

The scent of ashes from burned-out campfires mixed with the crisp morning air, tingling the nose.

The wind was cool now, but once the battle began, the heat of combat would soon overwhelm everything.

“Did you enjoy the food yesterday?”

I asked Lucrezia.

She was still bound in restraints.

Last night, Kalian’s group and I let Lucrezia taste human cuisine.

For someone who had lived almost her entire life eating nothing but plants, the flavors must have been overwhelming.

“It was nothing special. I just confirmed how low the quality of human food is.”

“For something ‘nothing special,’ you sure ate a lot. Even a beggar who hadn’t eaten in a month wouldn’t have eaten like that.”

“Ahem… I merely wanted to deplete as much of your food supply as possible. Don’t get the wrong idea.”

Lucrezia crossed her arms, feigning arrogance.

Seeing her like this, I realized once again—humans and demons really aren’t so different. Everyone enjoys good food.

I wished we could spend our days just chatting like this forever, but it was time to get down to business.

“Since we fed you well, it’s time to repay the favor.”

“Did I ask you for food? That was your choice, not mine.”

“Come on, don’t be like that. I’m not going to ask for anything difficult. Just one simple question.”

The Demon King’s army’s characteristics, the habits and personalities of their commanders, advantageous terrain, exploitable weaknesses—there were countless valuable pieces of information to gather.

But I had only one thing to confirm.

“Victoria will likely take to the battlefield herself this time. The outer walls have been breached, and one of the Four Heavenly Kings has been captured.”

“So?”

“Tell me where Victoria will appear in the next battle.”

Lucrezia’s expression momentarily twisted in confusion before she scoffed.

“Hmph, why would I reveal such important information? No fool in the world would tell the enemy where their king is.”

“We’re not trying to kill her. Kalian and I just want to meet her. We’re setting up a conversation between the two of them.”

“A conversation? You expect me to believe that?”

“Is there a reason not to?”

I shrugged.

“Think about it. The Demon King is in a place where all the key forces are gathered, and we’re willingly walking straight into it. Who’s really at risk here?”

“You plan to break through enemy lines with just a handful of people? You’ve lost your mind.”

“It’s not such a bad idea, is it? Besides, I’m taking you with me. We get the conversation we want, and you get released unharmed. Sounds like a good deal for you, doesn’t it?”

“Why are you going so far for this? A single conversation won’t change the situation.”

“We’ll see about that once it happens. Don’t you want to know how Victoria truly feels about Kalian?”

After a long moment of contemplation, Lucrezia finally spoke.

“…Beyond here, there’s a canyon.”

“And?”

“There are three paths within it. Take the middle one. You’ll definitely meet the Demon King there.”

“Are you sure? The enemy could change their formation depending on the situation, or they might realize you leaked information.”

“I’m sure. In a three-path canyon, the middle route is always the most strategically important—and the most dangerous. And the Demon King always goes where the danger is.”

Later, during a strategy meeting with Baldric and the eight noble leaders, we determined that Lucrezia was likely telling the truth.

The canyon indeed had three paths, and the middle one was both strategically crucial and extremely perilous.

The nobles still weren’t certain where the Demon King would be, but knowing Victoria’s personality, I was convinced she would be in the middle path.

However, while confirming Victoria’s location was a success… a new problem arose.

Nervas, Regallant, and Altera—three of the noble leaders—had decided to accompany me.

“It’s an honor to fight alongside you.”

Nervas spoke beside me.

Regallant and Altera also stuck close, either beside or behind me.

Their reason for joining was simple.

Since the middle path was the most strategically significant, sending just me wasn’t enough—they wanted to reinforce it by deploying additional noble leaders.

This was a huge problem.

If they were with me, even if I managed to reach Victoria, it would be nearly impossible to have a proper conversation.

And if Kalian showed even a hint of friendliness toward Victoria, these noble leaders wouldn’t just stand idly by.

As we entered the middle path of the canyon, I carefully observed the surrounding terrain, searching for a way to resolve the situation.

Nervas, oblivious to my concerns, chuckled and said:

“Hahaha, it’s reassuring to fight alongside you, Wade. I never imagined war could be this easy.”

“Hahaha…”

“I heard about it yesterday, but it’s still incredible—taking on thousands of demons in single combat and fighting them to a standstill? Truly, you stand at the pinnacle of humanity. And to think those demons ended up fleeing in terror… Hahaha!”

Nervas continued to shower me with praise, his lips never tiring.

The scariest part was that they weren’t saying this to flatter me—it was their genuine belief.

The heads of the noble families who once mocked and tried to kill me…

Especially Nervas, Regallant, and Altera—somehow, they had become my devoted followers.

Their attitudes started changing when they first witnessed my strength, and after seeing my true power on the battlefield, they began to actively worship me.

One of them spoke.

“I used to think there were no more worthy opponents and nothing left to achieve… But thanks to you, Lord Wade, I feel like I’ve found a new purpose in life.”

“Good for you.”

“Until this war ends, no… even after it ends, we will follow you wherever you go, Lord Wade.”

No, please, don’t. That’s the last thing I need right now.

Boom.

As I was passing through the canyon with the soldiers, a massive shadow was cast over the ground.

It’s starting. I looked up to see a landslide of boulders crashing down, large enough to block the entire canyon.

Crash!

Before the rocks could reach the imperial army, they were intercepted by counter-magic in midair, shattering into fragments.

Since we had anticipated this attack, the mages responded immediately with their defenses.

Demons revealed themselves from both sides of the canyon and above, completely surrounding us and bombarding us with relentless spells.

Countless magical attacks clashed in the air.

In a typical medieval battle, this would be the point where our defeat was inevitable.

Being surrounded and enduring attacks from all sides is an enormous disadvantage.

But in a world with magic, the dynamics are different.

Knights and mages are capable of three-dimensional movement.

That means they can fight not just on the ground, but also on cliffs and slopes.

“Counterattack!”

Nervas shouted.

The imperial forces, already positioned, launched their own assault on the demons from above.

This turned the battle from a purely defensive one into an all-out skirmish.

While still at the bottom of the canyon, I led the imperial soldiers forward, clashing head-on with the incoming demons.

Swords and spells rained down from all directions—front, back, left, right, and even from above.

Our formation gradually collapsed, and allies and enemies became tangled in a chaotic, frenzied melee.

Nervas, in particular, was slaughtering demons like a madman.

“Hahaha! Die, you filthy demons! The Transcendent One is here! Your existence will soon be erased from history!”

The other noble heads were also deeply engrossed in battle, so I took this chance to call Kalian.

“Kalian, now’s the time. While they’re distracted, we break through.”

“Can we really pull it off?”

“With just the two of us, plus Elia, Evelyn, and Lumia, we have enough power to punch through. The noble heads won’t be able to keep up easily.”

Only those aware of the plan to rescue Victoria moved with me, cutting through the demon ranks.

The noble heads urgently shouted my name from behind, but by the time they realized what was happening, we had already put considerable distance between us.

Aside from us, there were only demons surrounding us, but taking them down wasn’t difficult.

They must have realized they couldn’t stop us alone because instead of rushing in recklessly, they chose to lure us deeper into their territory.

Thanks to that, we naturally advanced straight into the heart of the enemy camp—where Victoria was being held.